Perikatan Nasional (PN) has not set any conditions for cooperation with Barisan Nasional (BN) in forming the government in Negri Sembilan.
Pas vice-president Datuk Idris Ahmad said the stance is in line with PN’s approach of prioritising political stability and the well-being of the people, especially in the current challenging situation.
“This is not about political gain. Our focus is the people’s interest. Firstly, we do not want a snap election that would burden the rakyat. Secondly, we want leadership that can create stability at the state level.
“We understand the current political situation in Negri Sembilan. We do not interfere in matters of adat (customs), that is not really our place. The people of Negri Sembilan understand their own situation best.
“When we were asked about conditions, we said there are none. Pas has a big heart. When Umno was struggling for 22 months, Pas was the one that extended a hand,” he said.
Idris, who is also a PN Supreme Council member, told reporters this after a courtesy visit to the Perak Media Practitioners Association (PPMP) at Rumah Media Perak here today.
Also present were state opposition leader Razman Zakaria, PPMP president Sayed Mohd Hesham Syed Idris and Manjoi assemblyman Mohd Hafez Sabri.
He added that Pas has often faced criticism, with some claiming the party never learns, but said the focus should be on moving forward.
“We never brought up past issues. For us, it is about moving forward politically. We close the old book and open a new one. As I often say, if a divorced couple keeps bringing up past issues, they will never reconcile.
“The same applies here. People may criticise Pas and say we never learn, but as leaders, we look at the bigger picture, not isolated incidents,” he said.
When asked whether such cooperation could be realised given the different federal alignments, he said it depends on the parties involved, adding that in politics, many possibilities can happen.
When asked if there had been discussions at the top leadership level regarding the proposed cooperation in Negri Sembilan, he said PN had discussed the matter internally.
“For BN, we are not sure. But within PN, we have discussed it. However, decisions cannot be made unilaterally, states cannot decide on their own without central leadership.
“We leave it to the wisdom of Negri Sembilan representatives, but we have already given our conceptual agreement based on the principles I mentioned earlier,” he said.
On Monday, Umno and BN withdrew their support for the Negri Sembilan state government led by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, citing a crisis involving the state’s Adat Perpatih customary system and its constitutional framework.
Negri Sembilan BN chairman Jalaluddin Alias was reported to have said the decision was made unanimously by all 14 BN assemblymen following an ongoing adat-related crisis.
Following the move, five PN assemblymen declared their readiness to cooperate with BN to ensure continuity in the state administration.
However, Aminuddin said he would continue to carry out his duties as menteri besar despite BN’s withdrawal of support, adding that he had sought an audience with Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir to brief him on the current situation. -NST
